Custom GT tabs contain specifically selected beneficial bacteria. These bacteria were chosen because of their ability to rapidly metabolize the organic materials, such as urine, that cause the odors. Unlike chemical masking agents, bioremediation of odors actually digests and eliminates the odors.

The bioremediation of odors has a number of industrial applications such as: elevator shaft odor control, car wash recycle water odor control and oil water separators.

GT Tabs and Odor Control

Custom Biologicals’ GT Tabs product is a live synergistic blend of selected microorganisms specifically chosen for their ability to rapidly metabolize organic material into carbon dioxide and water. The bacteria in Gt Tabs actually digests and eliminates the odor at its source rather than merely masking or attempting to chemically neutralize the odor.

GT Tabs controls odor in different ways depending upon the origin of the odor. If the odor is produced by indigenous bacterial decomposition of organic material such as sewage or urine, the bad odors are produced because bacteria incompletely oxidize and degrade organic compounds, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and starches instead of completely oxidizing them to carbon dioxide and water.

In this instance, GT Tabs works on a competitive principle called competitive inhibition. By applying GT Tabs, selected microorganisms are added at approximately one million times the concentration of the indigenous bacteria. The microorganisms in GT Tabs utilize essentially all of the available organic material and oxidize it to carbon dioxide and water. The indigenous bacteria are so outnumbered that they cannot successfully compete for available organic material. This greatly restricts their growth and also greatly diminishes the emission of organic compounds that produce the characteristic odor. The small amount of incompletely oxidized organic material that they may still produce is quickly utilized by the microorganisms in GT Tabs further reducing the odor.

If the odor is caused simply by, the presence of an organic compound the microorganisms in GT Tabs will rapidly degrade the organic chemicals destroying the odor. Examples of this type would be non-hydrocarbon chemical spills, industrial wastewater, agricultural waste, fish and other food preparation.

Another major odor problem is the production of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg smell) from sulfur containing amino acids. All of the microorganisms in GT Tabs degrade sulfur containing amino acids without producing hydrogen sulfide, and, in fact, utilize some hydrogen sulfide in growth.

All of the bacterial species utilized in GT Tabs are Class 1 bacteria, as defined by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Class 1 bacteria are, by definition, non-pathogenic and non-opportunistic. These organisms are safe and will not cause infections or ill effects in humans, animals or plants. The United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved this blend of organisms for use in USDA federally inspected facilities, including food production plants. Each organism has been approved by the microbiologists at the USDA laboratory and every production batch is certified to be Salmonella-free.

NATURE OF BACTERIA

Bacteria are considered prokaryotic organisms as their genetic material is not enclosed in a special nuclear membrane and they normally reproduce by the process of binary fission, one cell asexually splitting into two. Bacterial cells may be spherical or spiral but the majority are rod shaped (cylindrical) and are about one micron wide and 2 microns long. One micron equals 0.001 millimeter. For classification and identification purposes, bacteria can be divided into two large groups, Gram positive or Gram negative, depending on their reaction to a specialized staining procedure.

Microbial Growth Requirements

Bacteria as living organisms have certain chemical and physical growth requirements. The basic knowledge of these requirements is especially important in considering bioremediation and odor control.

An Energy Source – This is needed primarily for biosynthetic reactions to make polymers for the bacterial cell such as proteins from amino acids and RNA and DNA from nucleotides. Some bacteria can utilize light energy, however the ones that we are concerned with oxidize chemical compounds to obtain their energy. The bacteria in F-TREAT are chemoorganotrophs as they utilize organic compounds for their energy source. The bacteria in F-TREAT completely oxidize the organic compounds using them as an energy source by removing hydrogen from the compound and transferring it to oxygen to form water, as show below:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H20 + energy

The organic material is completely oxidized and converted from a solid to a gas (CO2). If the organic material is incompletely oxidized, as with facilitative anaerobic and anaerobic bacteria, the organic compound that acts as the hydrogen acceptor usually has a bad odor.

A Carbon Source – Carbon is required for all of the polymeric units in the cell such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. Some bacteria can utilize carbon dioxide as a sole carbon source; however, the organisms concerned with odor control are heterotrophs, as they require an organic source of carbon.

A Nitrogen Source – Bacteria are very versatile as to their nitrogen source as they can use atmospheric nitrogen (gas), ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and organic nitrogen. Nitrogen is a component in the amino acids of proteins and in the purines and pyrimidines of RNA and DNA.

A Phosphorus Source – Phosphate is a component of the nucleotides composing RNA and DNA and is required in energy transfer reactions.

A Mineral Source – Minerals such as magnesium, manganese, iron, and essentially every thing listed on your daily vitamin and mineral tablet bottle are required.

Bacterial Growth Process

Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms that reproduce primarily asexually by a process known as binary fission. One organism splits into two organisms and each one is capable of reproducing further. The principle of bioremediation is based on the tremendous growth potential of bacteria with the binary fission process. For illustration purposes, lets consider the growth potential of one single bacterial cell, assuming a 20 minute generation time, for a few hours.

Hour 1

Hour 2

Hour 3

Hour 4

Hour 5

Hour 6

Hour 7

1 – 2 – 4 –

8 – 16 – 32 –

64 – 128 – 256 –

512 – 1024 – 2048 –

4096 – 8192 – 16384 –

32,768 – 65,536 – 131,472 –

262,944 – 525,888 – 1,051,776

In little more than 6 hours the population has increased over 1 million fold. This tremendous growth rate is the secret to successful remediation. In the case of odor control bioremediation, the odor causing compound is used both as a carbon source and an energy source to produce the million fold increase in cell mass.

Sale on Septic Fizzytabs for June 2015

$10 off Septic Fizzytab 12 packs in June 2015 – Now Only $29.99 for a yearly supply. FREE US SHIPPING.

septic fizzytabs

Septic Fizzytabs are a once a month Septic tank treatment designed to keep your septic tank running smoothly between pump outs. And now – FOR JUNE ONLY – you can get $10 off a yearly supply of 12 fizzytabs. A yearly supply only costs $29.99. The $10.00 will automatically apply at checkout. Here’s the link – CLICK HERE.

Don’t you hate it when a product goes on sale and then they increase the mysterious handling fee. Or charge $20 shipping on a ten dollar item.

Well Septic Fizzytabs are $29.99. There is NO handling charge and NO US Shipping Charge.

International Distributor Opportunities

with Custom Biologicals

International distributor opportunities are plentiful at Custom Biologicals. In fact, we currently have over 40 international distributors representing over 25 countries.

Why so many international distributors? Well, we try to make it easy for our customers to do business with Custom regardless of their location, but there are several distinct advantages to becoming an international distributor of Custom Biologicals.

Advantages for International Distributors of Custom

1. Concentrated Products

The use of concentrated products is a tremendous advantage of working with Custom Biologicals. Here’s why; Concentrated products:

Greatly reduced shippings costs and shipping times. Reduced shipping costs and shipping times is so important that I’ll use an example to further explain. Recently, I was working on an international order where the client wanted a finished product. The estimate shipping cost was $700 and shipping time 3 months. This same order, using concentrated products had a shipping cost of $70 and a shipping time of 2-3 days.

Lower inventory requirements means less money out of pocket.

Allows for customization of the finished product.

Allows for easy private labeling.

2. Private Labeling & Exclusive Agreements

Custom Biologicals allows private labeling and rebranding of all of our products. Exclusive Agreements for some countries are available. Minimums and some restrictions may apply.

Heating Oil Spill Cleanup Using the Small Spill Kit

This post is a case study about the cleanup of a heating oil spill using the small spill kit by Custom Biologicals. The small spill kit is designed to clean up a number of small petroleum spills such as; heating oil spills, diesel oil spills, gasoline spills, and motor oil spills.

Case Study Heating Oil Spill Cleanup

Client Category: Emergency response – heating oil spill

Location: Pennsylvania

Problem: 275 gallons of heating oil located in the basement were spilled when an automobile struck the building. The basement was a dirt surface and about 900 square yards were affected. TPH levels ranged from 3500-9800 ppm.

Custom Treatment: The recommended dosage of Custom HC was applied directly on the dirt basement floor. Bio-nutrients were also added.

Custom Results: The following averages were obtained after six weeks of treatment.

Hydrocarbon Testing Site 1

Before – 3500 ppm TPH

After – 63 ppm TPH

Hydrocarbon Testing Site 2

Before – 9800 ppm TPH

After – ND (non-detectable)

As of the date this case study, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PA DER) had established standards for hydrocarbon contaminated soils of 200 ppm TPH. The final sample results are well within this criteria; therefore, no further corrective action was warranted for this site.

Know and follow the local and state laws when using the small spill kit.

Custom Biologicals manufactures and distributes a wide variety of microbial products including the small spill kit. Contact Custom Biologicals for more information about the small spill kit and heating oil spill cleanup.

Custom Biologicals can be reached at (561) 797-3008 or via email at Bill@Custombio.biz. Distributor and dealer inquires are welcome. Domestic and international companies are encouraged to contact us.

FAQ’s about Bioaugmentation of Wastewater

Frequently asked questions about the bioaugmentation of wastewater.

Q. What is bioaugmentation?

A. Bioaugmentation is simply the addition of specifically selected microorganisms (mainly bacteria) to wastewater. When properly implemented bioaugmentation of wastewater will improve the performance of the plant.

Q. I’ve heard about using “bugs” and bioremediation but isn’t that just snake oil?

A. In the past, there were a lot of snake oil salesman peddling magic bacteria that could do wonderful things at treatment plant. Bioaugmentation companies had a reputation worse than that of a sleezy lawyer. The myth continue because treatment plant operators normally have a background in engineering, not biology. The wastewater engineers found very little math to evaluate wastewater treatment bacteria. So instead of bioaugmentation, most industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants used polymers and chemicals to treat their wastewater problems.

Q. So what can bacteria and bioaugmentation really do?

A. First, its important to remember that bacteria are alive. They have certain nutrient requirement that they need to live, grow, and reproduce. Here’s a quick list of the most important parameters:

Dissolved Oxygen – Greater than .5mg/L

Temperature – 50-95 degrees F.

pH 6-9

Ammonia 1-3 mg/L

Phosphate .5-2 mg/L

Yes, a wastewater treatment plant can operate out side of these parameters. This list is meant to be optimal.

Bioaugmentation of wastewater can greatly improve some wastewater treatment plants. However, bioaugmentation will have little benefit to plants with no wastewater problems.

Q. What are the typical uses of bioaugmentation?

A. While bioaugmentation is used to treat a wide variety of wastewater problems, we run into these problems the most.

FOG problems – FOG in wastewater treatment plants, industrial plants, and lift station is the number one wastewater problem for bioaugmentation of wastewater.

Q. How do I get more information about the bioaugmentation of wastewater?

A. Custom Biologicals has over twenty years experience with the bioaugmentation of wastewater. Custom manufacture F-TREAT, a bioremediation product, specifically for use at industrial wastewater, municipal wastewater, and lift stations. Custom can be reached at (561) 797-3008 or via email at Bill@Custombio.biz. Contact Custom for more information about using bioaugmentation to solve your tough wastewater problems.

The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process 3

Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Enzymes in biochemical reactions act as organic catalysts. The enzymes become part of the reaction but are not themselves changed by the reaction. This is done by first the enzyme and the substrate coupling forming and enzyme-substrate complex. After the reaction is complete, the enzyme is released for catalyzing another reaction.

Okay, so now we have some general information about the biochemical reactions of bacteria and their enzymes. However, these chemical reactions occur within all bacteria, not just those in industrial wastewater and sewage treatment. So lets get back to the subject at hand – the role of bacteria in the industrial wastewater treatment process.

All bacteria, useful or otherwise, in a flow of industrial wastewater got there by happenstance. They remain, eat and reproduce because there is a food supply available to them. Remember bacteria have only thing on their mind; live, grow and reproduce. They are completely unconcerned about the quality of their workmanship as determined by your wastewater laboratory chemist.

Since it’s true that almost all industrial wastewater treatment plants are designed to take advantage of one of natures essential resources, the decomposition of organic material by bacterial activity, then we should know something about the bacteria with which we are working. In addition, we should learn about what is being done by the scientific community to provide better or specific bacteria, bioaugmentation, that can be introduced into industrial wastewater treatment systems to maximize their effectiveness.

The addition of specific bacteria to a wastewater stream with the idea of maximizing contaminant removal is called bioaugmentation. The use of bioaugmentation by industrial wastewater treatment facilities can equate to a lower operational cost, higher quality of effluent, and freedom from wastewater odors like hydrogen sulfide.

By studying the makeup of sewage and industrial wastewater steams, scientists can determine the best microorganisms to use in breaking down the specific organic chemicals involved and can work with design engineers and operational consultants, either to build new industrial wastewater facilities or to employ bioaugmentation of wastewater in existing facilities.

The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process

Part 2

Here’s the next part of our series on bacteria in the industrial wastewater treatment process.

The typical growth rate curve of a bacterial culture, known as the bacterial growth rate curve, is a result of the four following phases of bacterial growth:

The Bacterial Growth Cycle

Lag Phase (Sometimes called initial phase). When bacteria are first introduced into an environment, little growth will take place until they adapt to their new environment. In fact, it generally takes several generation times before the bacterial numbers begin to significantly increase. In practice, the lag phase typically lasts three hours or longer.

Log Phase (Logarithmic Phase). Once full growth and cell reproduction is underway, the bacterial growth curve develops the log phase. This is the phase where the bacteria are rapidly dividing. This phase is limited by the food source and waste buildup.

Stationary Phase. This phase occurs when some bacteria are growing and reproducing while others are dying. The actual number of living, viable organisms will remain fairly constant.

Death Phase(Sometimes called log death phase). After a period of time, the environment becomes loaded with bacterial waste products, food supply is depleted, and the entire system begins to die off. This die off occurs because the external conditions are no longer right for maintaining the bacterial population in such high numbers. The death phase is also logarithmic.

Since the log phase and the death phase increase and decrease at the same respective rates, the bacteria growth curve is a bell shaped curve. This growth curve has several important parts that have a great effect on the use of bacteria in the industrial wastewater treatment process. We’ll discuss those aspects as we move along in this article.

Bacteria Produce Enzymes

Microorganisms and their enzyme systems are responsible for many different chemical reactions produced in the degradation of the organic material in industrial wastewater. As bacteria metabolize, grow and divide they produce a wide variety of enzymes. Enzymes are high molecular weight proteins. There are many types of enzymes are they are classified by the chemical reactions that they enter. First, enzymes are group into two broad classes; endoenzymes and exoenzymes. Exoenzymes are produced within the bacterial cell but migrate out of the cell. Once outside the bacterial cell, exoenzymes break down the larger organic compounds to a size that can pass through the cell membrane. The endoenzymes are also produced within the cell but they remain inside the cell to convert organic materials to products needed by the cell to grow and reproduce.

It is important to recognize the fact that bacteria produce enzymes. In fact, one way to think of bacteria is to think of them as enzyme factories. The enzymes that are manufactured by bacteria are substrate specific. That is they will metabolize only the organic compound that they are designed to metabolize. So providing that you have the right bacteria, that is bacteria that have the correct genetic code to metabolize an organic compound, you have your own enzyme factory for metabolizing your organic wastes. Importantly, enzyme cannot reproduce themselves; however, bacteria, of course, can reproduce.

End part 2 – The role of bacteria in the industrial wastewater process.

The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process

In general, an area that is largely misunderstood in industrial wastewater treatment is the role played by bacteria, both indigenous and applied via bioaugmentation. With few exceptions, most industrial wastewater treatment of organic compounds is intended to take advantage of the natural processes of wastewater treatment bacteria.

Bacteria may be aerobic, anaerobic or facultative anaerobes. Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to perform their metabolic functions and reproduce. Anaerobes cannot live and reproduce in the presence of oxygen. Facultative bacteria have the ability to live either in the presence or absence of oxygen. For the purposes of our discussion, we’ll talk about aerobic bacteria and discouraging or controlling the anaerobes.

In the typical industrial wastewater treatment facility, air is added to improve the metabolism and functioning of the aerobic bacteria. This addition of air is also done to enhance the aerobes at the expense of the anaerobes. A number of factors are controlled at an industrial wastewater treatment plant. All of them with the idea of improving the environmental conditions for the native bacteria. Conditions that are sometimes controlled are:

Settling

pH

Temperature

Agitation

Aeration

Introduction to Bacteria

Bacteria may be classified in a number of ways like size, shape, genus, species, etc. We’ll keep it general in our conversation and say that all of the organisms that we’re talking about are single celled prokaryotic, organisms. These single-celled organisms grow and when they reach a certain size they divide, becoming two organisms. They term used for bacterial reproduction is binary fission. During binary fission, both new cells are identical to the original cell and identical to each other. If there is a sufficient food supply, they grow and divide again. Every time a single bacteria cell divides, we have a new generation.

Its important to point out that the bacteria are not “thinking” about this process. Nor are they trying to accomplish something. The only thing on their mind is to reproduce.

Every time a bacterial cell splits, we have a new generation. This binary fission takes place every 20-30 minutes for many aerobic bacteria. This is known as exponential or logarithmic growth phase and is a key for the use of bacteria in the industrial wastewater treatment process.

This logarithmic growth is a function of two key variables; environment and food. The pattern which results is known as the bacterial growth rate curve. This typical growth rate curve is a result of the four following phases of bacterial life:

End Part 1 The Role of Bacteria in the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process.

Wastewater Treatment Technology

Custom Biologicals

Custom Biologicals use bioaugmentation, sometimes called wastewater bioremediation, to treat a wide variety of wastewater problems. Bioaugmentation is a wastewater treatment technology that uses the addition of specifically selected microorganisms, or microbes, to treat wastewater.

The use of bioaugmentation at wastewater plants is designed to treat a variety of wastewater problems such as:

Custom Biologicals main wastewater treatment product is F-TREAT. F-TREAT contains billions of specifically selected, wastewater treatment bacteria. These bacteria have been selected for their safety and their enhanced ability to metabolize the organic compounds typically found in wastewater streams.

Additionally, Custom Biologicals has the ability to “customize” F-TREAT for a particular application. If you have a wastewater problem that others have tried and failed, Call Custom. We can customize a wastewater solution for you.

F-TREAT is a wastewater treatment technology used in a wide variety of situations including:

Industrial wastewater

Food Processing wastewater

Pulp and Paper Wastewater

Municipal Sewage systems

Lift Stations

Petrochemical Refineries

Custom Biologicals manufactures and distributes the following wastewater treatment products.

Shock Treatment Bacteria – Shock treatment bacteria are used in a number of wastewater applications. This product is a fast release bacterial product designed to jump start the bioremediation of wastewater.

When considering wastewater treatment technology, consider bioaugmentation products by Custom Biologicals. Custom Biologicals is a manufacturer of a wide variety of microbial products for use in environmental applications. Contact Custom to discuss the use if an appropriate wastewater treatment technology at your wastewater treatment facility.